It Comes Naturally
by EmilyJustice
Summary: Never judge a book by its cover"; especially when it's the Invisible Book of Invisibility! There's gotta be something interesting about a girl who reads invisible books, after all, and for once, Sirius Black actually wants to find out about it.
1. A More Disagreeable Girl

**A/N:** Hello readers! Since_ Save a Penny_ is nearing its conclusion (or will be, if I ever find my inspiration again) I thought it was about time to start posting another story! This one is actually completely finished, so you'll never have to worry about waiting for chapters to be written; the frequency will depend on reviews[/blackmail It's just a short twelve-part thing that I wrote after realizing that the general conception of Sirius in the RP and fanfic world is that he's a raving manwhore; thus, I decided to count myself among the ranks of those who look at him as a legitimate character, even as a teenager.

JK Rowling owns everything but Madeline Croft, who is my brainchild. Enjoy!

-Emily

* * *

Sirius Black, fifteen and handsome as the devil, had never before said goodbye to his mother when he boarded the Hogwarts Express from Platform 9 ¾ on the morning of September the first, as he'd done for four years previous; seeing no reason to break tradition, he without hesitation hurried away from his mother as soon as possible. She made no effort to stop him, as usual; the only reason she came was to see Regulus, who was only fourteen, onto the train. He was, after all, the favorite son; but Sirius had long since come to the realization that his family was little more than scum and he would have been insulted if they liked him.

He quickly spotted a flash of dark red hair and was pleased to see that it belonged to Lily Evans. He knew that where Lily was, James would not be far behind; and sure enough, his best friend soon popped out of the crowd to hinder the redhead's progress towards the train.

Grinning to himself, Sirius pushed his way towards them, listening with amusement as his friend's voice carried over the crowd.

"Evans! You didn't answer any of my letters!" crowed James Potter in mock—or real, Sirius was never sure when it came to James's interactions with Lily—annoyance, ruffling his hair as his hazel eyes stared hungrily at her through his glasses. Lily, for her part, was unimpressed.

"Answer them? I stopped reading them after the first week! Maybe if you'd written about something more interesting than your new broom and the hours of Quidditch you played, I would have been more inclined to humor you," she replied.

"What would you like to hear about?" James shot back quickly, unabashed. Lily opened her mouth, but Sirius (who had finally managed to reach them) had the quicker tongue.

"Come on, James, leave the girl alone! It's clear that she will never want anything to do with you—am I right, Lily darling?" he finished with a roguish wink at the redhead. Lily smirked at him and shook her head in an annoyingly mature way before pushing past James and onto the train.

"I'll see you later than, Evans! I'll come and visit your compartment!" the Gryffindor Chaser called after her. She gifted him with a dismissive flick of her hand. James turned to Sirius, grinning.

"It's obvious. She loves me," he said.

"Yeah, she loves you like I love Moaning Myrtle," Sirius replied. "Face it, mate; she's out of your league. There's nothing you can do to make her go out with you, short of threatening her at wand-point."

"Some witches are into that."

"Oh, bugger off!" Sirius said, laughing as he hefted his trunk and made for the train. James, however, hung back.

"Aren't we going to wait for Remus?" he asked. Sirius turned around.

"Nah. He was made prefect, remember? I'll bet you anything he bolts for the prefect compartment quick as he can. He'll be unbearable this year; if he doesn't take it serious to try and make up for the past four years with us, I'll eat my cauldron," the long-haired boy said with a debonair grin. He turned around again—and ran right into a short girl, who fell over her trunk (which popped open) and would have rolled under the train if Sirius hadn't reached out and grabbed the neck of her sweater.

When her motion ceased, she batted his hand away and glared fiercely up at him, her brown eyes narrowed in obvious dislike.

"Watch it, Black!" she snapped, reaching for the books and robes that had spilled out of her trunk, grimacing as people trod on them.

"Hey now, Madeline, don't be like that," Sirius replied, bending down to help her. "I just saved your neck, you know."

"Yeah, by strangling it," she replied, rubbing the red mark from where her collar had choked her. "I wouldn't have even fallen over if not for you."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," he said, handing her a battered copy of _Standard Book of Spells, Grade Five_. She snatched it from his hands and pushed a lock of dirty blonde hair out of her eyes.

"Just watch where you're going next time! This place is dangerous enough without people being negligent with their own bodies," Madeline said irritably, slamming the lid of her trunk and latching it.

"You have my word, Miss Madeline; I will forever watch my step so as to make Platform 9 ¾ a safe place for petite women such as yourself," Sirius replied with a smirk as he stood and reached out a hand to help her up. Madeline made a scoffing noise and ignored his offer, jumping up and dusting herself off.

"I don't need your cheek, Black," she said before turning and lugging her trunk towards the train. Sirius, continuing to smirk, shook his head and turned back to James, who was chuckling.

"That Madeline Croft," he said. "I never met a more disagreeable girl."

"Quite right, Padfoot," James said with a laugh. "I've always wondered why she's in Gryffindor."

"Maybe she has some amazing talent we know nothing about."

"Like what, the ability to frighten off any poor man who tries to court her?"

Sirius's eyes widened and he jumped back, an expression of mock alarm and surprise on his face.

"You've seen someone _try_?" he asked, his tone incredulous. James laughed.

"She couldn't be bothered with it anyway, I'm sure. The girl has no use for anyone. I think her main goal in life is to end up an old maid," the bespectacled boy said. "Why, I doubt even _you_ could make her fall in love with you, you sly dog."

"Is that a challenge?" Sirius shot back, a grin on his lips and a mischievous glint in his eye. James chuckled again.

"Aw, leave her alone, Sirius. There's no need to make her more disagreeable than she already is."

"I could tell you the same thing."

James shoved his friend's shoulder and grabbed the handle of his trunk.

"Shut up and get on the train," he said.


	2. Never Saw it Coming

**A/N:** Hey kids! I've been getting some favorite stories and author alerts on this fic, which is fantastic! I'm glad to see some interest in it. But...where are the reviews? Authors like reviews! I know nothing much has happened yet, so I suppose I can forgive you...lol.

Anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

James and Sirius settled into a compartment in the middle of the train, where they were soon joined by Peter Pettigrew, who sat and watched while the other boys played a game of wizard chess. Remus Lupin, their "sickly" friend, popped his head in once to say that he had to patrol the train, apologize, and promise that he would join them as soon as he could.

A few hours later when the witch with the food trolley came through, the four boys (mostly James and Sirius) were exchanging stories from the summer (mostly about Quidditch).

"And it went through the middle ring, dead center," Sirius said, demonstrating with his hands. Peter was wide-eyed and admiring; Remus smiled appreciatively; and James grinned widely and slapped Sirius on the back.

"I bet ickle Regulus never saw it coming," he said. Sirius shook his long-haired head.

"Anything from the trolley?" asked a voice from the hall.

"Excellent, food," Sirius said, getting up and opening the compartment door. The trolley witch, however, was currently addressing the sole occupant of the compartment opposite theirs: Madeline Croft. The girl shook her head, though Sirius thought he caught her looking longingly at the pile of Chocolate Frogs.

"Very well. And you, dear?" the witch asked, turning to Sirius. He nodded and selected several Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, and a few Cauldron Cakes. He glanced up a few times to look at Madeline, who was indeed eyeing the sweets and looking very hungry.

James, Remus and Peter bought their food and the witch moved on. Sirius unwrapped a Chocolate Frog and bit into it, absentmindedly looking at the card (Hengist of Woodcroft)._Croft_, he thought vaguely to himself; his mind jumped to Madeline, and he remembered the look in her eyes when the witch came by with her sweets. Stuffing a few more Frogs in his pocket, he stood up and opened the compartment door; ignoring James's cry of, "Where're you going?" he stepped across the way into Madeline's compartment.

She looked up and immediately became indignant.

"Excuse me! I don't think I invited you in here," she said. Unabashed, Sirius sat down across from her and held out a Frog.

"Here," he said. "You can have it. I brought a few more, if you want those as well."

"I don't want that!" Madeline snapped, though she stared at it. Sirius laughed.

"Are you sure? You look kinda hungry to me," he said. Madeline opened her mouth to retaliate, but closed it again almost immediately, looking furious. Sirius laughed again and waved the Frog in front of her. "Come on, just take it. I swear I haven't done anything to it."

"Get out," Madeline said.

"Not until you eat it."

For a few moments, Madeline stared at him through narrowed eyes, as though something in his face might give away his obviously malicious intentions. Sirius's intentions, however, were simply to give the poor girl a few Chocolate Frogs, and he stared back at her with an amused grin on his face.

"Oh, alright," she snapped, grabbing it from him. She began to unwrap it, but paused. "You can leave now," she added, pointedly looking from him to the door.

"Can't either," Sirius replied promptly. "You haven't eaten it yet."

Madeline glared at him, but finished unwrapping the Frog and shoved it in her mouth. She chewed furiously for a few moments, then swallowed and pointed at the door. Smiling, Sirius stood up. He pulled the rest of the Frogs out of his pocket and dropped them on the seat next to her.

"Have these too," he said. "Just in case you want to savor them a little more than you did that one."

She said nothing, but her brow furrowed and she looked a bit confused.

"You're welcome," Sirius said brightly before going back to his own compartment. When he'd shut the door behind him, James looked up from the game of chess he'd started with Peter (Peter was losing sorely, though the game had obviously just begun. This, however, was not unusual).

"What was that?" he asked, annoyed at not being informed.

Sirius grinned.

"You're on."


	3. Under Such Circumstances

**A/N:** Yay, people listened to me and gave me reviews! Haha, thanks a lot, guys. I appreciate it, especially since I know there's not a whole lot to comment on yet. More will come, I promise you.

And, to fulfill that promise, I offer you chapter three. Enjoy!

* * *

"You mean it? You're really going to try to get her to fall in love with you?" James asked, an eager expression on his face. Sirius winked at him and attacked his steak. The Great Hall was alive with the hubbub of the welcome feast, so he didn't trouble himself with keeping his voice down; no one would overhear him.

"That's right," Sirius said. "If anyone can melt her heart, it's me, don't you think?" He winked again and James laughed.

"Sirius, I really don't think you should," Remus said. "It's cruel."

"Moony, if you keep acting like such a prefect we might have to stop hanging around with you," James said. Remus opened his mouth, but the protests died on his tongue. James turned back to Sirius.

"So, how're you going to do it?" he asked. Sirius shrugged.

"I'll just sweet her up and show her what she's never had before," he said, sipping his pumpkin juice.

"But will she buy it?" Peter squeaked anxiously. Sirius laughed.

"I don't think it'll be hard," he said.

"Aren't you forgetting that she hates you?" Remus asked skeptically.

"Come on, Remus," Sirius said. "The girl's never had any kind of romance in her life. She'll never know what hit her; and she'll be so confused she won't be able to do anything but go along with it until it's too late!" James laughed, but Remus was unconvinced.

"And what happens then, Padfoot?" he asked quietly. "She falls in love with you and then you just laugh in her face and tell her it was all a big joke?"

"Something like that, yeah," the Black heir replied, chuckling. Remus shook his head but said no more.

The following morning Sirius woke early to the sound of his rumbling stomach. He'd eaten quite a lot the night before, but he was unsurprised to be so hungry in the morning: Sirius's appetite was famous for being insatiable. He debated whether or not to wake James before heading down to breakfast, but decided against it. James only enjoyed getting up early if there was Quidditch involved.

He dressed and headed to the Great Hall by himself. Only a handful of people from each House were there, and none that he felt inclined to talk to; so he sat down in his usual place at the Gryffindor table and helped himself to a solitary breakfast.

People trickled in with increasing density as he worked his way slowly through his meal, savoring the food. Teachers went up and down the tables as new people came in, handing out schedules. McGonagall had handed Sirius not only his own, but the schedules of James, Remus and Peter as well, as she had done since their second year.

Sirius watched the doors of the hall, looking for someone interesting to come in—and soon, someone did. Madeline Croft entered, arms clutching a book, just as a group of Sirius's least favorite Slytherins—including Snape, Avery, and Rosier—were exiting. Sirius jumped up and started making his way across the Hall, hoping to head off a collision he knew was sure to occur. He wasn't quick enough, though. The burly Rosier plowed right into petite little Madeline, knocking her over for the second time in twenty-four hours.

"Watch where you're going, Mudblood!" he spat at her, kicking her dropped book away from her when she reached for it. Sirius picked it up and whipped his wand out, pointing it at Rosier as he positioned himself between the group of Slytherins and Madeline. Rosier leered at him.

"Going to take us all on at once, are you?" he sneered. Sirius opened his mouth, but the voice that spoke next was not his own.

"He'd be more than enough for all of you, though I hope he won't mind if I share the fun," said James coolly as he drew even with Sirius, wand out. Snape grimaced.

"Let's go," he said. "They're not worth it."

The Slytherins pushed past James and Sirius reluctantly, and the two Gryffindors put their wands away. Sirius put a hand on James's shoulder.

"Thanks," he said. James grinned.

"No problem," he said. "I just wish they'd risen to the occasion."

"Yeah," Sirius said. "Look, go ahead to the table, okay? I'll be there in a sec."

James, who had seen Madeline, gave him a knowing wink before moving on, dragging Peter and Remus with him. Sirius turned around and offered a hand to Madeline, who was still on the ground, looking very cross.

"Will you let me help you up this time?" Sirius asked, grinning at her. She looked up at him, obviously not wanting to accept his help…but she reached out and allowed him to pull her up. He gave her hand a small squeeze before letting go and held out her book.

"Thank you," she said curtly, as though it pained her to be civil to him.

"Listen, that lot are nothing but scum—"

"And you're no better, running your mouth about them," Madeline interrupted, brushing off her robes. "You think insulting someone else will make me think better of you? That's what you're trying to do, isn't it: get in my good graces, for whatever demented reason?"

"I am affronted!" Sirius exclaimed with (partially) feigned surprise. "I'd never insult them just to win your favor; I'd do it for free!"

"Oh, you think you're funny, don't you?" Madeline said petulantly, narrowing her eyes at him. Sirius frowned. He was getting quite annoyed at how often she did that; she was much prettier when she didn't squint.

"Humor is in the eye of the beholder, my dear Maddie," he replied.

"Well, your humor doesn't suit me, so take it elsewhere," she snapped. She grabbed her book from his hands and tried to get around him, but he stepped in front of her, smiling.

"Won't you let me walk you back to the table?" he asked.

"Why would I do that?"

"Well, we're both going to the same place," he said. "Why shouldn't we walk back together? We're in the same place here…going to the same place there." He paused, his grin widening. "We could get there the same way!"

"Very funny," Madeline said dryly.

"I thought my humor didn't suit you?" Sirius said quickly.

"Sarcasm is my chosen means of amusement."

Undaunted, Sirius crooked his arm and offered it to her. Madeline glared at it as though it were offensive to her.

"You're not going to let me alone, are you?"

"Not a chance," he replied, winking at her. She sighed heavily before reluctantly slipping her arm through his. "That's the spirit!" he said jovially, and he escorted her to the Gryffindor table. There, she refused flat out to sit with him and the others, instead abandoning him for her customary place, alone, at the end of the table. This didn't bother Sirius; after all, as he told James, one had to take things slow under such circumstances.


	4. Just Small Stuff

**A/N:** Alright, in this chapter we're going to start getting more into the purpose of the story! Which, of course, is always fun. Thanks so much to you readers! Enjoy!

* * *

Their first class was Transfiguration ("What a way to start the morning!" said an annoyed James, to murmurs of agreement), so after breakfast the foursome trudged up to the sixth floor ("Which is far too much exercise at this hour!" squeaked Peter. No one really paid attention to him).

McGonagall welcomed them back by informing them that as fifth years, they would be taking their O.W.L. exams at the end of the year. Not bothered to listen to the lecture, James leaned towards Sirius.

"I've been practicing," he said excitedly.

"Practicing what, exactly?" Sirius inquired. James laughed.

"You know. The Animagi Transfiguration."

Sirius perked up and an awed half-smile donned his face.

"Have you done it then?" he asked.

"Not completely," James admitted. "Just small stuff, you know. Antlers…hooves…things like that. Didn't want to try anything big without someone there to change me back if I couldn't do it myself."

"Yeah," Sirius said. "Yeah. But that's great, James. This might be the year!"

"I'm thinking it is," his friend replied.

"Mr. Potter!" came McGonagall's sharp voice from the front of the room. "I certainly hope you have no intention of complaining to me when you fail your Transfiguration O.W.L.!"

"Come on, Professor, you and I both know there's no chance of that," James said loudly, winking at Lily. The redhead rolled her eyes. McGonagall's lips twitched, but she made no comment, resuming instead her lecture. James grinned.

"I'm telling you, Padfoot," he said. "This year's the year."

"I believe you, Prongs," Sirius replied, chuckling.

They were assigned three essays that day: one from McGonagall on Vanishing Spells, one from Kettleburn about the life cycle of Abraxans, and one from Sprout on the Venomous Tentacula. James and Sirius, and as such Peter, complained about this excessive first day workload; Remus simply smiled and said that they should have expected it, coming into an O.W.L. year.

Moony convinced his friends that they should at least start the essays, since it was unlikely that they'd be any more inclined to write them at any other time during the week than they were now. Sirius, however, lost interest after writing his Abraxan introduction, and let his gaze wander around the room.

His eyes inexplicably found Madeline's dirty-blonde head, bowed over a small table where she sat alone. Her hair was pulled back and braided so that it didn't drag across her parchment, on which she was writing furiously with an obviously old and well-used quill. A grin breaking the bored expression on his face, he gathered up his parchment and writing materials and went over to her table. She looked up as he sat down and frowned.

"Black, why does it suddenly seem like your only objective in life is to force yourself into mine?" she said, exasperated.

"Because right now, it is," Sirius replied cheerfully, spreading out his parchment. "But that's not the only reason I came over here. I wanted your help on the Abraxan essay."

"We both know you hardly need it."

"But we both also know that you're much better at Care of Magical Creatures than me," Sirius shot back. Madeline raised an eyebrow at him.

"Regardless, you're not so abysmal that you can't do it yourself," she said.

"Thank you," Sirius said gallantly. Madeline laughed, and Sirius's grin grew wider than it had been for a long time. Madeline shot a confused look at him.

"Why are you impersonating the Cheshire cat?" she asked. Sirius chuckled.

"Because I made you laugh," he said. "It seems my humor is growing on you."

Madeline opened her mouth to retaliate, but closed it again and pursed her lips. Sirius continued to grin at her, amused by her attempts to come up with a witty retort.

"I'm tired, I'd find anything funny right now," she said offhandedly, looking back at her essay. "I expect I'll have returned to my senses by the morning."

"But tonight, we can be…" He trailed off, gesturing towards her to fill in the blank.

"Classmates," she supplied coolly.

"Classmates who…"

"Take classes together."

"And…"

"And should be writing essays," she said, smirking at him. Sirius smiled and whistled.

"You drive a hard bargain, Madeline," he said.

"Well, if it's your objective to wedge yourself into my life, then it follows that mine should be to make it as difficult for you as possible," she replied, consulting a textbook. Sirius laughed.

"Fair enough!" he said. He was in a fairly good mood now; he hadn't realized that Madeline was quite so witty; instead he'd imagined a dour and uninteresting person. After all, surely she'd have more friends if people had ever had a conversation with her. She was funny!

She glanced furtively at his paper, making little noises as she did so.

"Abraxans are French, Black," she said.

"Are they?" he said with a start. "I couldn't remember if they were from France or the Czech Republic."

Madeline laughed and Sirius looked up from his essay, beaming at her.

"That's twice now," he said fondly.

"It won't last, I assure you," she replied, unsuccessfully suppressing a smile.


	5. It Comes Naturally

**A/N:** Okay guys, I am SO sorry I've kept you waiting for so long. I forgot how much work is involved in college! I am, however, coming up on a week-long break, so you should expect to see more chapters of this and (hopefully) more of _Surgeon_. Thanks so much for being patient, and sticking with me!

* * *

"I don't understand it," Sirius confided in James one day. "It's like she's surrounded by a Shield Charm designed specifically to repel me!"

"I'd give up, mate," James replied. "It's not worth it."

"I'm not giving up," Sirius said. "It's not in my nature."

"That's for sure!" James said, laughing.

The rest of the week had followed in much the same vein as the first day. Sirius took every opportunity to speak to Madeline, even if it was just walking past her in the Great Hall and touching her shoulder. He spent at least a half an hour sitting with her exclusively every evening in the common room (the rest of it spent with James discussing Animagi).

She, however, remained as impervious to his advances as ever. Oh yes, she talked with him, and occasionally laughed at him, but she showed little interest in him otherwise, and never sought him out. Sometimes Sirius wondered if she didn't do it on purpose—"making it as difficult as possible for him," as she herself had said.

"You take your words very seriously, don't you, Madeline?" Sirius asked Friday night in the common room. They were sitting together on one of the smaller couches, Sirius tossing a small ball up and down, Madeline reading.

"Of course," she said, turning a page of the silvery book in her hands. "Why say something you don't mean? Just a waste of energy."

"I knew it," Sirius replied, grinning. Madeline looked up and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Knew what?" she asked.

"That you were doing it on purpose," Sirius said, stretching and looking quite pleased with himself. She was just playing hard to get! Which, of course, meant that she wanted to be gotten, which meant that he had succeeded. _Remus will be pleased_, he thought. He'd only led her on a little bit, and nothing serious.

Madeline pursed her lips and closed her book.

"Against my better judgment, I have to ask…doing_what_ on purpose, exactly?"

Sirius turned over quickly and shot his arm over Madeline, positioning himself above her and leaning in quite close to her face. Her eyes were wide with surprise, and Sirius grinned.

"Resisting me," he said.

Madeline's mouth fell open; Sirius moved to kiss her—

"_Impedimenta_!"

His usually quick reflexes abandoned him; his limbs felt like they'd been dipped in molasses. Madeline, her white wand out, wriggled out from under him and jumped off the couch. Silence fell on the common room as people realized what had happened and turned to watch.

"I don't have to do anything _on purpose_ to resist you, Black!" she shrieked, her voice very high-pitched and her cheeks flushed. Her mouth was pressed in a thin line that was vaguely reminiscent of McGonagall. "It comes naturally!"

She shoved her wand back in her robe pocket and felt around the bare floor; she picked something up, though no one was quite sure what it was, gathered her school bag, and stormed up to the girl's dormitories.

The spell wore off and Sirius fell on the couch amidst an awkward silence, where it was only too clear that people wanted to laugh but were afraid of what he'd do to them. James, however, had no such fear. He laughed loudly and went over to Sirius, ruffling his friend's hair.

"Girls, mate," he said, grinning widely at the dejected look on Sirius's face. "They don't know a good thing when it's right in front of their face!"

Across the room, Lily Evans rolled her eyes and followed Madeline up to the girl's dorm. James jumped up.

"I didn't mean it like that, Evans! I wasn't talking about you!" he called after her.


	6. To the Room

**A/N:** Hello! This chapter is more about the Animagi transformation and less about Sirius and Madeline, so let me say this: the HP-Lexicon, the books themselves, and any other source I checked all have no information on how to become an Animagus, so I've completely invented the process. Don't hold it against me. ;) Enjoy!

* * *

Sirius made no attempt to speak to Madeline that morning, though he passed her on his way down to breakfast. He heard James greet her, daring as only James could be, but he didn't hear a reply from her. Of course, that might have been because he was barreling his way to the portrait hole; even Remus had to jump out of the way or be knocked down.

"Sirius! Hey, Sirius!"

The long-haired boy sighed and stopped, allowing James and Remus to catch up with him. He felt James's hand on his shoulder.

"Look, we all know last night didn't go well," James said. Sirius looked at him and thought he detected the trace of a grin. "But if I backed down every time Evans rejected me—"

"Every time you speak to her, you mean," Sirius put in.

"Then there'd be no point in pursuing her at all!" James finished as though he hadn't heard his friend's quip.

"That's different, James," Sirius said. "You're actually interested in Lily. This was just a game."

"Then why are you so upset?" asked a small voice behind him, so quiet he almost didn't hear it. Sirius ignored it.

"Well, this might change your mind," James said, his grin very wide now. "Madeline was watching you the entire time you were in the common room."

That cheered Sirius up considerably. He grinned, winked at James, and started off towards the Great Hall with a new spring in his step. Behind and unbeknownst to him, Remus gave James a scathing look. The bespectacled boy shrugged.

Sirius continued to grin as he wolfed down his toast. Yes, he knew now that he'd made a very big mistake with Madeline last night. It was quite unlike him; he himself had said that she'd had no romantic experience at all. How could a girl in that position know how to be "hard to get"? She hadn't been toying with him; she just hadn't known what to do when he'd tried to kiss her and she'd panicked.

He looked for her to enter the Great Hall while he ate, but she never came. Remus followed his gaze to the entrance and laughed.

"Madeline went down to breakfast early today," he said. Sirius turned to look at him, frowning.

"How do you know?" he asked, almost suspicious. Remus smiled warmly at him.

"She was returning as I came down into the common room," he said. "She said she had something important to do, and she wanted to be as alone as possible. I guess she planned to do it while everyone was at breakfast."

"I wonder what she's up to," Sirius mused.

"Whatever it is, finding out will have to wait," James said. "We're going to the Room today."

His friends nodded, and Remus flushed a little. James and Sirius had discovered the Room of Requirement last year when trying to hide from Argus Filch. Since then, the four had been using the Room, among other things, for researching and practicing the Animagi Transformation.

_Second year_, Sirius thought. It had been second year when he, James and Peter had discovered the secret Remus had tried so hard to keep: their friend was a werewolf. Much to Moony's surprise—though, as they commented later, he should have known Sirius and James well enough to guess that they'd think it was marvelously dangerous—his friends had not abandoned him. Instead, they had decided to become Animagi—wizards who could transform into animals at will.

"That way, we can come with you," James had said enthusiastically.

"Come with me!" Remus had exclaimed. "No, you can't possibly, it's too dangerous—"

"Come off it, Remus," Sirius said. "We all know werewolves are practically programmed to bite humans."

"But they leave animals well enough alone," James said, grinning. "So if we're animals…"

"We'll be perfectly safe," Sirius finished. Remus, looking quite miserable, opened his mouth to argue…but he correctly realized that nothing he could say would change their minds.

Unfortunately, it had been harder than they realized. There had been almost no information on the process in the Hogwarts library, and while after Christmas break James and Sirius both returned from their family homes with slightly more detailed books, they went into it with a lot of guesswork.

The most they'd found was, in third year, a spell to select the animal they'd transform into. It wasn't simply choosing a creature, they discovered. The animal had to suit you, or the spell would completely recreate you, change you to suit the animal. That was how they'd come up with their nicknames: Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. Peter's animal was a rat (he hadn't been too pleased with that, though the others thought it was funny), James, a stag, and Sirius himself, a dog; they'd given Remus "Moony" for obvious reasons.

They'd been incredibly excited after completing that spell, but they'd hit a dead end after that. So Sirius spent the summer before fourth year scrounging around his house for books on advanced magic, which he was sure his family would have; the Blacks were an ancient wizarding family and if they didn't have a book that told one how to become an Animagus, who would? He'd finally found one, and that year they'd really begun trying to work the spells. They were not spells like the four were used to; they were wandless, but used long incantations in a language none of them could identify.

There was something they were missing, though Sirius and James couldn't work out what. It was frustrating; every time they got started, muttering under their breath and trying to turn themselves into animals, nothing happened. They'd feel a bit of tingling and that was it. And it only got harder the longer they went at it, getting progressively more irritated.

There was a fiery sense of excitement, however, in Sirius's blood as they went against the wave of students heading outside on that beautiful Saturday, making their way instead to the Room. James's small successes over the summer, if he was to be believed, made Sirius eager to try himself; to see how far he could get.

_We need a place to practice the Animagi Transfiguration_, he thought as they neared the Room. He repeated the thought twice; the doors appeared out of the wall and they entered. 


End file.
